Matthew Tichenor says the art of the violin is a journey and one he intends to continue.  

The 16-year-old Montana native is debuting his first solo performance on Friday, one rung in a ladder he said he is climbing.  

"This debut show will put a marker on a map for me,” Tichenor said ahead of the event. 

The performance is titled “A Prelude to 17,” citing Tichenor’s birthday later this month. The concert will feature a 30-minute piece by composer Max Bruch, a German composer and violinist, along with work from Pablo de Sarasate, Henryk Wieniawski and Fritz Kreisler.  

Tichenor was born in Helena but moved to Kalispell before he started grade school. He graduated with a High School Equivalency Test in 2024 and has been attending Flathead Valley Community College since pursuing an associate of the arts degree.  

Growing up in a musical family, Tichenor was always drawn to the arts. It wasn’t until he was 11 years old, however, that he picked up a violin, inspired by violinists online and in his own life.  

He saved up the money in his piggy bank and ordered his first violin on Amazon for $50, he said with a smile, sitting in a practice room at the college’s Wachholtz College Center.  

The violin is special, he said, because there is never a definite end. There is always more room to grow, to get better and learn more.  

To this point most of Tichenor’s efforts in music have been focused on ensemble performances. A member of both the Glacier Symphony and the Flathead Valley Youth Symphony, Tichenor said that a lot of his inspiration comes from the ambitious musicians who continue to grow the arts scene in the Flathead.  

“I’m trying to soak up all the knowledge I can,” he said. “As I’m growing, the whole arts world here in Kalispell continues to grow too.” 

After graduating in the future, Tichenor looks forward to continuing his journey up the ladder, hoping to audition for bigger conservatories. 

The debut performance, which is at 7 p.m. is at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 603 S. Main St. Kalispell. Admission is free. 

Reporter Kate Heston may be reached at 758-4459 or [email protected].